European Geologist European Geologist Geoheritage - learning ...

Topical - Geoheritage
highlighted by the Committee of Ministers
of the Council of Europe (2004).
They recommended that the “geological
heritage constitutes a natural heritage of
scientific, cultural, aesthetic, landscape,
economic and intrinsic values, which
needs to be preserved and handed down
to future generations” and that geological
and geomorphological features are essential
characteristics of landscapes that should be
considered when implementing the European
Landscape Convention. IUCN, too,
has recognized the wider role and relevance
of geodiversity - “the conservation and
management of geological heritage need
to be integrated by governments into their
national goals and programmes” (IUCN,
2008). Similarly, UNESCO has promoted
the cultural and economic importance of
geodiversity through the Global Geoparks
network (McKeever et al., 2010). However,
in many relevant policy areas, including
climate change, water, economic development
and marine conservation, geodiversity
has not been integrated either at European
or national levels.
An ecosystem approach, as set out in the
Convention on Biodiversity (1992) and the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005),
is now a key policy driver for nature conservation
globally and is a central pillar of the
EU Biodiversity Strategy (2011). Although
often undervalued or overlooked, geodiversity
contributes to critical ecosystem
services (Gray, 2011; Gordon & Barron,
2011; Gray et al., in press). Consequently,
there is now advocacy for a more holistic
approach that recognizes the wider benefits
of geodiversity to society and integrates
geodiversity more closely in environmental
policy and practice (Prosser et al., 2011;
Henriques et al., 2011; Gordon et al., 2012;
Gray et al., in press). This should lead to
better recognition that geodiversity is of
significant value to society and relevant to
society’s needs. In turn, this should help to
strengthen geoconservation and the role
of geodiversity as the essential foundation
of most ecosystems and the services they
provide. Such an approach underpins the
development of Scotland’s Geodiversity
Charter.
Scotland’s Geodiversity Charter: recognizing
the wider importance and value
of geodiversity
The rationale behind Scotland’s Geodiversity
Charter (Fig. 1) was to demonstrate
and build on the wider values of geodiversity
and to advocate a more strategic
and integrated focus to the conservation
Figure 1: Scotland’s Geodiversity Charter (http://scottishgeodiversityforum.org/charter).
of biodiversity, geodiversity and landscape
within the framework of an ecosystem
approach and underpinned by sound
Earth system science. Working in collaboration,
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)
and the British Geological Survey (BGS)
prepared an evidence base to support such
an approach (Gordon & Barron, 2011).
Their report demonstrated that geodiversity
delivers or underpins many different
types of ecosystem service and provides a
wide range of benefits for society and the
environment (Table 1). It concluded that
a strategic framework would highlight the
wider role and benefits of geodiversity and
associated geoconservation activities and
facilitate their better integration into the
existing policy framework. It would also
help to identify priorities for geoconservation
activities and provide a foundation
for actions by different stakeholders and
sectors.
Geodiversity interacts with biodiversity
through our ecosystems and also links landscapes,
people and their cultures. In some
cases the benefits from geodiversity are
direct (e.g. enhancing the aesthetic quality
of the landscape), whereas in others they
are achieved through the influence that
geological, hydrogeological, geomorphological
or pedological factors and processes
have on both landforms and the biodiversity
they support. Not only is the conservation
management of the non-living parts of the
natural world crucial for sustaining living
European Geologist 34 | November 2012
49